Method and compound for fog dispersing and frost prevention



Nov. '2, 1954 c. R. MINTON 2,693,140

, METHOD AND COMPOUND FOR FOG DISPERSING AND FROST PREVENTION vi edjJ ne 14, 1948 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

- aoRwnv R. Ml/VTO/V ATTORNEY Nov. 2, 1954 c. R. MINTON 2,693,140

METHOD AND COMPOUND FOR FOG DISPERSING AND FROST PREVENTION Filed June 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. GORWl/V R. M/IVTO/V ATTORNEY.

Nov. 2, 1954 c. R. MINTON METHOD AND COMPOUND FOR FOG DISPERSING AND FROST PREVENTION Filed June 14, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 5

. INVENTOR. aomw/v R. MIIVTOIV- BY A T TORNE Y AND- FROST-PREVENTION Corwin R. Minton, Arcadia, Califi, assignor to Clellan Ross Pleasants, San Francisco, Calif.

Application June 14, 1948, Serial No. 32,973

1 Claim. (Cl. 98-1) burn or vaporize a hygroscopic material, such as calcium chloride and to intermix the burning or burn calcium chloride with the products of imperfect combustion in desired proportions; the calcium chloride is introduced as a compound, namely in suspension in a hydrocarbon, for instance, fuel oil.

Another object of the invention is to burn a hygroscopic material held in suspension in a hydrocarbon, so as to produce a hygroscopic product of combustion capable of rising in the atmosphere.

The features of this invention are: the production of a compound wherein a desired concentration or percentage of finely comminuted hygroscopic solid is in substantially colloidal suspension in a hydrocarbon; the burning of said compound at a high burning temperature; the burning of hydrocarbon near said first burning at a lower temperature to form carbon particles; then emitting the products of both burnings, thoroughly intermixed, into the atmosphere; an apparatus with a mixing and dispensing chamber and with suitably located burners for said purposes; and means to maintain said hygroscopic material in suspension in said hydrocarbon.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following specification, and as defined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts as described in the said specification, nor .do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my apparatus with multiple dispensers.

Fig. 3 is front view of the containers and pump mechanism of my apparatus, partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a side view of said containers and the blower of my apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a partly sectional view of the dispenser unit, viewing it in the direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 1.

My compound or mixture is a finely comminuted hygroscopic solid diffused in a hydrocarbon. In the present illustration calcium chloride is held in suspension in a liquid hydrocarbon, such as fuel oil. The proportion found to be most practical is about 20% calcium chloride by weight in fuel oil. In this mixture sedimentation is avoided to a large extent.

My method includes the steps of comminuting a hygroscopic solid, such as calcium chloride; mixing the comminuted calcium chloride into a liquid hydrocarbon, such as fuel oil, so as to have said calcium chloride diffused in said oil in substantially colloidal suspension; then the burning of said mixture, preferably by complete combustion; and mixing the product of combustion with hot car bon particles, for instance, with products of imperfect combustion near the burning of said mixture; so that the products of the first combustion are passed into the products' 'of th'e higher combustion; andthen dispensing theers 2 andi3. One burner 2 is also below the levelofthe othembu-rner. 3.

A container 4, containing the fuel .with the hygroscopic content, is connected by a pipe 6 through a pump 7 and feed pipe 8 to the righer burner 3. A fuel container 9 is connected through a pipe 11, pump 12, and feed line 13 to the lower burner 2. A pipe 14 connected to both burners 2 and 3 conducts air under pressure from a blower 16, as regulated by a valve 17 at each burner. The blower 16 is connected by a conduit 18 to an adjustable 1air vent 19 in the dispenser and combustion cham- The combustion and dispenser chamber 1 has an outer casing 21 with fire resistant lining 22 therein. The chamber 1 is open at its top and closed at its bottom. Acentral baffle block 23 defines a generally circular area in the lower portipn of the chamber 1, which serves as a swirling chamber 24 opposite the lower burner 2 and preferably below the upper burner 3.

The burners 2 and 3 are of suitable type and are not herein shown or described in detail. The burners 2 and 3 are supported on suitable brackets 26 in burner intake recesses 27 and 28 respectively, so that the flames issuing from the burners are generally tangential to the inner periphery of the chamber 1.

The baffle block 23 is preferably cylindrical and is made of fire resistant material. In the center of the baffle block 23 is a hole 29 in which is the air vent 19, which consists of a tube closed at its top and open at its bottom and with perforations 31 on its side. This air vent tube 19 is slidable in the hole 29 and can be fixed to any adjusted height by a pin 32 extended through a hole 33 on the side of the bafile block 23 and into one of the perforations 31. The air vent tube 19 is also made of fire resistant material and forms an enlarged whirling space or chamber above the baffle block 23, to a selected height in the dispenser chamber 1. The conduit 18 from the blower 16 connects to the bottom of the central hole 29 is that air under pressure is blown out through said vent perforations 31 and into the upper whirling chamber to regulate the draft in the dispensing chamber. 7

The containers 4 and 9 are mounted on a base 36, under which are the pumps 7 and 12 and their driving mechanisms. The lines and piping have suitable safety releases thereon. In the chemical mixture container 4 the pipe 6 enters through the top and then extends downwardly to a point near the lowest side of the container 4, so that the pumping action and suction agitates the body of fluid in the container 4 and prevents settling of the solids, such as calcium chloride, on the bottom.

The multiple unit shown in Fig. 2, is constructed on the principle heretofore described, except that a plurality of dispensing chambers 1 are arranged at suitable locations, and branches of the pipes 8 and 13 lead to the respective burners 2 and 3 of the several dispensing units. The blower conduit 18 also has branches leading to the different dispenser units.

In operation the burners are turned on and the upper burner 3 is operated at a higher temperature, for instance, at 1500 to 2000 F. The lower burner 2 is operated at a lower temperature, for instance, at about l350 to 1380 F. The products of combustion whirl around the baifle block 23 and the vent tube 19 and intermix. The upward draft carries the products of combustion into the atmosphere, resulting in the dispersal of fog or prevention of frost, or other clarification of the atmosphere, as the case may be.

The flow from the chemical mixture container is through the pipe 6, to the pump 7, by which latter the mixture is pumped through the piping 8 to the upper burner 3. The flow from the fuel container 9 is through the pipe 11 to the fuel pump 12, by which latter the fuel is pumped through the piping 13 to the lower burner 2.

c aim:

In a method of fog dispersing and frost prevention the burning of a liquid hydro-carbon containing in suspension hygroscopic substance having a halogen element Patented Nov. 2, 1954.v

3 therein, and combusting a hydro-carbon near said burning the said burning being at a higher temperature than the said combustion, and the whirling of said products of burning and combustion together and liberating them into an upward draft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Number Date Drake Apr. 18, 1911 Number 

